DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow

DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow

One of Hilton’s most successful brands continued its expansion into Scotland earlier this year with the opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow. Having undergone an extensive £11 million refurbishment the new hotel, located in the heart of the city, welcomed its first guests at the end of September after approximately a year and a half of work.

With 300 modern guest rooms, including three fully equipped suites, DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow is owned and managed by Amaris Hospitality and joined Hilton’s Scottish portfolio of 16 properties. Within walking distance of the main shopping district and top attractions including the iconic Glasgow Cathedral, the hotel’s redesign has transformed the interiors creating a vibrant stylish hub for guests.

Each room boasts complimentary Wi-Fi, a 40-inch LCD TV, a work desk and 24 hour room service. Relaxation can be sought at the in house restaurant and health facilities. Interior design agency and long-time Hilton collaborators Cunningham McLean were brought in the revamp the hotel’s bedrooms and public areas. Terry McAleavy, Director at the firm, spoke to Premier Hospitality about the work:

“When we were asked to provide the design services for the Glasgow Hotel we were excited as we rarely get the opportunity to work on such a large scale local project on our doorstep. Most of our work is all over the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe. Cunningham McLean have completed a few re-branding projects for our client over the years and the Hilton DoubleTree brand is a high-end product and working closely with the client to deliver the new Hilton Hotel was the product of great teamwork.”

“Our client always provides a clear brief and they often know what they want before they meet us. We developed a series of presentations and together with the client reach a level which allowed us to take the project forward. With the Glasgow project the client was looking for something that would bring the hotel back to its former glory and present an updated design which was warm and welcoming. We also wanted to try and introduce a bit of the Glasgow character back into the property as well.”

Terry continued:

“Most of the bedrooms needed a full refurbishment as they were over 35 years old. Previously the rooms were very dark so the big thing for us was to brighten them up and make them look new, fresh and bright. The colour scheme is light oak and lilac with a hint of green as a highlight.

“We re-designed the footprint of the foyer, the bar and the restaurant as previously the area wasn’t maximising the space available. Much of the floor area was hidden behind back stores, screens and raised floors. There was a coffee shop that was never fully integrated into the hotel and was removed. The reorganisation of the ground floor has allowed the shop area to become a much more relaxing and flexible space for casual meetings and coffee can still be purchased at the new bar.”

The public areas are now very much a space for guests to enjoy a bit of luxury and comfort just off the busy Sauchiehall Street. The hotel has a 14 metre heated indoor swimming pool as well as a sauna and steam rooms. The Juvenate Health and Leisure Club includes a fully equipped leisure centre with cardio equipment, resistance machines and weights.

The in house restaurant, The Brisket, is available for breakfast and dinner providing a mix of European and British food. It specialises in meat dishes prepared by Banqueting Chef of the year Billy Campbell – the showpiece dish of course being the slow cooked Brisket. Guests looking to sample a selection of local and international craft beers and fine wines can visit The Cask bar. A local theme can also be found in the artwork adorning the bar’s walls as Terry explained:

“In the bar and restaurant , we used work by local artist, Ryan Mutter. This has drawn a lot of comments from customers and visitors because they recognise the paintings from local exhibitions. A lot of people have commented that they love the artwork in the bar and some recall many of the images created from their recent past. The artwork we’ve used captures the working class ethic of Glasgow – the history of heavy industry, manufacturing and ship building.”

Those looking for a place to conduct business will find the hotel just as accommodating to their needs with world class conference facilities including Scotland’s largest hotel meeting space, The Grand Ballroom. The ballroom can accommodate up to 1,500 meeting or event attendees, making it the perfect space in Scotland for large events, conferences and weddings. A further 12 meeting spaces are also available on site, all with natural daylight and state-of-the-art equipment.

Terry concluded:

“The biggest challenge was the building. It needed a bit more work than expected. We had to replace much of the hotel infrastructure.

“The feedback so far has been superb, both from guests and from the hotel management. We are based in Glasgow and do most of our work all over the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe so it was a nice project to showcase what we do in our home town. We feel it was a job well done.”

Established in 1987, Cunningham McLean work within the UK and European design industry providing professional interior design and project management services to many sectors including hospitality, leisure and corporate markets.

Cunningham McLean specialise in quality and creative design solutions from bespoke interiors through to branded and template delivery of established brands in the UK and Europe. Each project created by Cunningham McLean is individually designed to reflect the client’s requirements.

Upon the opening of the hotel, Dianna Vaughan, senior vice president and global of DoubleTree by Hilton said:

“The sophisticated property offers close proximity to a number of top attractions, including the SEE Hydro arena, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and major nearby businesses. Beyond this, DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central offers guests the welcoming comforts and hospitality that travellers can expect from DoubleTree by Hilton, starting with the presentation of a warm, Chocolate Chip Cookie at check-in, a symbol of the kindness that makes a stay with us so memorable.”

John Brennan, CEO of Amaris Hospitality, said:

“We are extremely excited to be opening the new DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central Hotel after an extensive £11 million investment and refurbishment. This wonderful, city-centre hotel is Amaris Hospitality’s second Hilton brand hotel in Scotland. We look for great hotels in world class locations and the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central Hotel is the perfect addition to the Amaris portfolio.”

DoubleTree by Hilton is a fast-growing, global portfolio of 475 upscale hotels with more than 114,000 rooms in gateway cities, metropolitan areas and vacation destinations such as Barcelona, Amsterdam, Cape Town and Melbourne. DoubleTree properties offer unique, contemporary accommodation with full-service facilities including restaurants and lounges, room service, health clubs, business centres and meeting and banquet space.

Established by Lone Star in July 2015, Amaris Hospitality brought together a unique selection of hotel properties from four separate portfolios. Last year Amaris Hospitality unveiled plans to rebrand 23 hotels as part of a £100 million strategy and investment programme with the aim of accelerating the growth and development of the Group’s hotel portfolio. Currently, the group has over 13,000 rooms, employs over 5,000 people and its business divisions have combined sales totalling more than £400 million.

Carpetronic

Based in Paisley, Carpetronic is a flooring and tiling contractor, specialising in flooring, tiling and bathroom fit-out works. The company has been in operation for 26 years and within this time has worked with many prestigious clients, including The Hilton, Jurys Inn, Fairmont Hotel, Trump Turnberry and the Holiday Inn.

Most recently, Carpetronic was involved in DoubleTree by Hilton, Glasgow. Working on this project, Carpetronic was responsible for all the flooring in the bedrooms, corridors and public areas, as well as all bathrooms fittings and tiling.

Des Martin, Carpetronic, said:

“It was important for us to be involved in the project as it is a very prestigious hotel, which helps us raise our profile within the industry. We have a very good working relationship with Cunningham McLean, so it was great to work with them on this project.”

Des added:

“At Carpetronic we pride ourselves on our ability to provide exactly what our customers want, in an efficient, cost effective and timely manner.”

Complete drapery solution by Skopos for Hilton Double Tree, Glasgow

As part of an eight phase project, Skopos worked closely with designers Cunningham Mclean on the complete refurbishment of the hotel interior. Skopos produced and installed textured dim-out curtains (Linas) and sheers for all 300 guest rooms over a nine month period, with Sera dim-outs and Tempt sheers for the Executive suites.

Wave headers and Charm sheers were fitted in reception, giving a light and soft feel to public areas. Skopos full service offer included a full site measure, product make-up and installation.

Skopos is an ISO9001 accredited company and has over 40 year’s specialist experience in the design and supply of high performance FR contract fabrics and furnishings for the hospitality, cruise and leisure sectors.

ODonnell Furniture manufactures and installs high quality hotel bedroom case goods. ODonnells produces wardrobes, vanity/TV/minibar units, headboards, desks and tables as well as hotel reception and front of house furniture.

Established in 1902, ODonnell Furniture is a 4th generation family-run business, with an extensive portfolio of projects. ODonnell Furniture has worked with various hotel chains including Hilton, Marriott, Apex, Guoman, Ramada and Morgans Hotel Group. Recently completed projects include The Crowne Plaza Aberdeen, Sheraton Park Lane and The Queen Mary 2. The Lancaster London Hotel is currently in production with ODonnell Furniture.

In connection to the Double Tree Hilton Glasgow, ODonnell Furniture created drawings of bespoke furniture in conjunction with Cunningham McLean. The company produced and installed headboards, TV wall panels and an assortment of desks, coffee tables and safe tray units.

Angelo Moscatelli, Sales Manager for ODonnell Furniture, said:

“Cunningham Mclean is a leading professional interior design and project management firm and ODonnell Furniture is delighted to have worked with their team on this prestigious project.”

Managing Director Aodh O Donnell added:

“ODonnell Furniture prides itself on its excellent reputation for attention to detail, quality, service and willingness to work as part of an integrated team to meet and exceed client expectations.”